Egypt and Turkey launch a new phase of military and defense cooperation

Egyptian Defense Minister during his visit to Türkiye

Egyptian Defense Minister Lieutenant General Ashraf Salem and his Turkish counterpart Yaşar Güler signed a letter of intent for defense cooperation between the two countries, following a bilateral meeting held in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

Egyptian Defense Minister during his visit to Türkiye

The Turkish Ministry of Defense stated that the signing came at the conclusion of bilateral talks between the two ministers, which addressed ways to enhance defense and military cooperation in order to support relations between the two countries and expand areas of joint coordination.

The signing of the letter of intent comes as part of the official visit of the Egyptian Minister of Defense and Military Production to Turkey, which includes talks with senior Turkish officials on prospects for military cooperation, exchange of experiences, and ways to develop relations in the defense fields, in light of the increasing security challenges facing the region.

Egyptian Defense Minister Lieutenant General Ashraf Salem and his Turkish counterpart Yaşar Güler

The agreement represents the latest milestone in the rapprochement between Cairo and Ankara, after bilateral relations witnessed rapid development in recent years following the resumption of political contacts and high-level visits, leading to the upgrading of relations between the two countries in a number of political, economic and security fields.

Egyptian-Turkish relations have witnessed a remarkable transformation since the start of the normalization process, which culminated in the exchange of ambassadors, followed by an intensification of mutual visits between senior officials in both countries.

The past two years have also witnessed meetings at the level of the political leaderships, which addressed prominent regional issues, including the situations in Gaza, Libya, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea, in addition to strengthening economic and investment cooperation.

On the military side, this step is one of the most prominent indicators of the growing defense cooperation between the two countries, as it opens the way for expanding coordination in the areas of military training, defense industries, exchange of experiences, and strategic dialogue on security issues of common interest.

The military rapprochement between Egypt and Turkey is of particular importance given the military weight of the two countries. The Egyptian armed forces are among the largest armies in the Middle East and Africa, while Turkey has one of the most advanced defense industries in the region.